Amateur’s Food Photography Part III: Take Your Time

For me, food photography is about finding my zen space. Last week we talked about evaluating the color and quality of light with a lot of technical information jam packed into a post, and this time I want to talk a bit more abstractly about photography. Oftentimes we are flying around to take photos quickly while the food is still hot, only to realize after the food is eaten and gone and that what we shot on camera is less than desirable. Sound familiar?

That pot didn’t hold any soup. It was totally empty, and in this case acted as a prop just used for staging. The soup was still in a pot on the stove, onions busily caramelizing away (after all, I did have 4 whole hours to set up this shot since French onion soup depends on slowly caramelized onion goodness ) I knew I wanted to include the pot, even with all its scratches and wear, because I love the fun country feel it gives to the scene. So I set my favorite cutting board on the table in front and started to think about my composition.

This soup had an entire head of garlic in it, which gave me the perfect excuse to set my garlic strand next to the copper pot. I used a lens and lens cap as standins until I looked for the right bowls for my soup. Yep, these will do!

Ok now that I have my “scene” a little figured out, I can play a bit – add some garnish from the scallions? leave them out? How about killing the incandescent over head light (see it reflecting on the bowls) and working on lighting up those shadows on the front of the bowls a bit – well, it’s rather rudimentary, but I think this setup will do for now (this is before I knew where to buy things like poster board) – I just hung some white place mats and positioned them to help bounce the light coming in from the windows, and played a little more with my framing, focus and exposure settings. By the time the onions were finished and I was taking the bowls of soup out from under the broiler, all I had to do was set the bowls in place and then click with the camera. Less than two minutes later, my husband and I were enjoying piping hot bowls of French onion soup.

Ok, in that minute or two I did take a couple more just for fun. And yeah, I totally burned the bread. Oops. But the point is, I didn’t have to spend a lot of time fussing around with the food trying to find a shot while it was getting cold. I planned ahead, and took my time. Often, the photos that I am most disappointed with are the ones where I rushed.

And the way to keep from rushing is to find your zen with the shot. Before the food comes to the table. Play with the arrangement of the elements in the scene. Play with the light. Use stand-in plates while your food is cooking and try a bunch of angles and perspectives ahead of time, so that when the plate arrives, you already have a plan. A well-thought out, put together plan – even if it is a little rough on the edges or doesn’t have any fancy equipment.

This week my suggestion for you is to plan your shot ahead of your food. You can take your time while you make all of your photography decisions.

That’s a great suggestions Jenn. What I have started doing is saving a portion (or making an extra portion if it’s in individual pots) and taking the photo the next day in better light. It’s rare that I photo and eat the meal on the same day. That’s really helped me plan my shots better and get decent light without having to faff about too much. And it annoys my dining companions less Loving this series!

Thanks Mardi. Yes saving some for a better day is also a good option so that you can have time to play. Though even if I didn’t have a hungry husband hovering over me, with the cheese here I’d still have a pretty narrow window – cheese doesn’t look awesome for long – once it’s melted and then starts to cool it kind of reminds me of glue – not fun to photograph or eat haha!

These are all wonderful tips. I often find myself rushing to get the right shot without thinking about the actual set up of the shot. I need to do better at that, and focus on other things in the photo besides the food. I love the way the pot brings a rustic feel to your photo. Just beautiful. And fabulous series post… as always!

Jenn,
This is the first post that I have read in your series, and it’s fantastic! (As well as coincidental. My husband and I were shooting crocks of onion soup through “The Daily Show” last night.) I’m going to go and read the rest of your series now.

I’m glad it helps! This particular tip took me a long time to realize, and even longer to make a habit out of. But now it’s how I try to approach every pic, and giving myself the time to plan has really worked out well for me.

Thanks Branny – it hasn’t really been so long since I’ve done it either – but it’s really helped my stress level when I’m taking a pic of something that I want to eat right away, which can only be a good thing

What a wonderful post! Really, I so appreciate the simple, honest thoughts and the pic w the napkins really helped, I’ve been light bouncing wrong! Lighting and composition are such a struggle for me and you nailed it right on the head w taking your time! I was just thinking a few minutes ago, ‘Why do I do this to myself’ rush, rush rush only to get 20 bad shots. All in all, I looove food photography and food blogging, I’m sortof a newbe and trying to give myself a break.
Again, I really appreciate the time you put into your blog and this wonderful post!
Cheers!

Well I’m certainly no expert at bouncing light! As you can see from the pullback there are still some shadows in front of the bowls, which I compensated for by upping the exposure and blowing out the background a bit. But that is a subject for a different post Glad this series is helpful!

Great advice! I never do it, which is why my hot food shots suck, while my bakery shots (where I have all the time in the world) tend to be marginally passable. Meh. Everyone likes bakery anyway, right? :p

Love this series Jenn. For months my photos were always rush jobs. Until recently, standing any length of time on the leg I injured would not allow me much time to do anything other than a few quick shots hurriedly put together. It’s only recently that I’m able to take some more time and put more effort into something as you’ve exampled for us here. Still a ways to go! I’m checking daily now for my ‘perfect’ time of day and find that I’m going to have to use the luxury of working from home for an afternoon photo more often. Not late afternoon when the sun is streaming into my dining room but more of a late lunch break with photos!

I appreciate you sharing your experience; I’m a hands on learner and considering the distance between us; your hand is on my learning! Thank you.

I like to plan ahead for everything else in my life. So why haven’t I ever thought of planing a photography shoot of my dish?
Getting better photos is my New Year’s resolution, and I will incorporate your advice. It makes so much sense and, as you said, alleviates stress.
Thanks, Jen!

Aww thank you! Yes on a sunny day it is rather lovely light. The quality is nice on a rainy day too (like this one – you can see the rain on the balcony in my pullback), but there just isn’t enough of it – these exposures were upwards of an entire second!

a HUGE lightbulb moment. In the last week alone between you and another blog I have found TONS of mistakes I was making. Setting the scene has now become a priority for me. Thank you for your kindness in sharing.
debi

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